Light & Healthy Pancake Recipes

Pancakes can be a delicious and decadent way to start the day, especially on weekends.

The trouble is that most pancakes are anything but light and healthy.

A plate of pancakes and maple flavored syrup at your favorite breakfast joint can easily set you back anywhere from 500 to 1000 calories.

Not a great way to start the day if you're trying to lose weight and/or eat better.

A much lighter healthier alternative is to enjoy pancakes at home instead. That way you can control your ingredients and portion sizes.

When you are making pancakes at home from scratch, here are some tips & tricks for keeping them light and healthy:

• Cut the calories by substituting higher calorie ingredients like eggs, butter, oil and milk with lower calorie alternatives including egg whites, almond milk, fat-free cottage cheese, unsweetened applesauce and canned pumpkin puree.
• Make you pancakes more filling by adding or topping them with generous amounts of fruit. Bananas, berries and chopped apples are great choices.
• Swap out all or part of the white flour with whole wheat or another whole grain flour.
• Choose toppings that are lower in fat, calories and sugar to keep your pancakes skinny. Go for Greek yogurt, sugar free spreads and syrups or small amounts of real maple syrup that can be deeply satisfying.

I searched the web to assemble a great collection of light & healthy pancake recipes - both simple pancake recipes from scratch and that begin with a mix - I think you're going to love.

I discovered these easy, healthy and delicious Power Pancakes last summer. They are my new current favorite light and healthy pancake!

Favorite WW SmartPoints Pancake Recipes

Apple Walnut Pancakes
(*5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *6 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
The whole wheat flavor really comes through in these hearty pancakes that are perfect for fall with 208 calories and found at Taste Of Home (affiliate link).

Banana Nut Pancakes
(*3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *5 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
Banana lovers will flip over these low-fat pancakes with 129 calories found at SkinnyTaste.

Bethenny's Simple Pumpkin Pancakes
(*3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *3 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
Whole wheat pancake mix, canned pumpkin, water and spices combine to create a healthy breakfast. Each 2 pancake serving has just 124 calories and can be found at Health.com.

Ellie Krieger's Whole Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry Topping
(*3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *8 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
With a combination of whole wheat pastry flour and white flour, non-fat milk and low fat buttermilk, these pancakes are both delicious and nutritious. This has become the "go-to" pancake recipe for many. A serving of 2 (5-inch) pancakes and ⅓ cup strawberry syrup has 310 calories and 4g fat - found at The Food Network.

Blueberry Ricotta Buttermilk Pancakes
(*3 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *4 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
Delicious, healthy, low calorie blueberry pancakes that you can enjoy while staying within your daily Points allowance. Each 2-pancake serving has just 216 calories and can be found at Laaloosh.

Here's a fun video of Bethenny Frankel's Healthy Faux Pancake Recipe…

Buttermilk Oatmeal Pancakes
(*7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *9 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
Start your day in a hearty, high-grain way with these buttermilk-oatmeal pancakes with 241 calories - found at Eating Well.

Honey Wheat Pancakes
(*7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *8 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
With wheat germ, cinnamon and bananas, each 2-pancake serving has 253 calories and is found at Taste of Home (affiliate link).

Hungry Girl Blueberry Pancakes
(*5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *4 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
An oat-y take on pancakes makes them hearty, filling, and delicious with 201 calories and found at Hungry Girl.

Hungry Girl Chocolate Chip Pancakes
(*5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *6 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
A lighter take on a decadent way to start your day with 241 calories - found at Hungry Girl.

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
(*7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *8 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
These whole wheat pancakes are lightly seasoned with brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and topped with pumpkin butter for a hearty Autumn breakfast. Low fat, high in fiber and just plain good or you. Each 2-pancake serving has just 253 calories - from Gina at SkinnyTaste.

And another video demonstrating how to make healthy high protein banana pancakes...

Weight Watchers Blueberry Bran Pancakes
(*6 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *7 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
Celebrate morning with these hearty, high-fiber pancakes made with blueberries and ready-to-eat bran flakes cereal. Each 3-pancake serving has 7 SmartPoints - found at Weight Watchers.

Gina's New and Improved Whole Wheat Pancakes
(*4 Weight Watchers PointsPlus | *5 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)
Because these simple pancakes are high in fiber, they leave you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day. Each 2-pancake serving has 172 calories and can be found at SkinnyTaste.

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

More Lighter Healthier Breakfast Options

• Healthy Blueberry Muffin Recipes - A collection of 10 terrific healthy blueberry muffins gathered from around the web
• Healthy Homemade Granola - a deliciously easy homemade recipe sweetened with maple syrup
• Healthy Low-Fat Banana Nut Bread - Rich, moist and dense - the way I like my banana bread best